Category Archives: Review

by CigarCraig | January 1, 2012 · 10:02 am

Happy New Cigar Year! A Macanudo, an Emilio and a Gurkha

Welcome to 2012 on CigarCraig.com! I can’t imagine that this year can be better than last year for me cigar-wise, but I’ll do my best to at least come close. 2011 saw trips to Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic, as well as a trip to the IPCPR show in Las Vegas. I made a lot of new friends in the industry, including a bunch of fellow blogger types. We culminated the year with a huge series of contests that broke all kinds of records here. Thank you all for a great 2011! Looking forward to seeing what the new year brings.

While I’ve had the week off this past week I’ve had a few occasions for a cigar, but I’ll just mention the notable ones. Most of them were good, most of them I’d smoked before and don’t want to be repetitive. I kinda wanted to take the week off from what passes as reviews around here after the rigors of posting 14 days in a row! Here’s a couple cigars that were notable, at least to me. First I had a Macanudo 1968 Robusto on Christmas Day, with my brother-in-law, who is finding that he enjoys good cigars. I set him up with a little travel humidor for Christmas and he seems to be getting a lot of use out of it. The 1968 was from a box that I brought back form my General Cigar visit. I’ve smoked a bunch of these over the past few years and I’m still surprised by how strong they are. The Macanudo name on the band always fools me. It was a notable cigar as much for the company and occasion as anything else, but I do enjoy the 1968 line quite a bit.

Friday I paid a visit to my local shop, JM Cigars in Exton. I met an old friend, Bruce, there for a smoke and to catch up. I had hope a few more friends would stop by, but was more than happy to while away the afternoon with Bruce and a Emilio AF2 BMF. I picked up a couple of these 6″ x 58 monsters because I hadn’t had the AF2 in this size, and I really liked the AF1 in the same vitola. These were very reasonably priced and I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar for 1½ to almost 2 hours. Loads of flavor and well made. I was really glad to see these in JM’s and wouldn’t have even thought to look if my wife hadn’t spied an empty box by the door on our last visit.

Saturday I took an uncustomary early walk so I selected a Gurkha Cellar Reserve Churchill, which came last month in a truly unexpected package from the manufacturer. This cigar boasts 15 year aged tobaccos and is a stunning cigar. I wonder why a 7″ x 54 feels so much more massive than a 6″ x 58 or 60? Does length play that much of a roll in our perception? Maybe….anyway, this was a nice enough cigar for a pre-lunch smoke, looking forward to seeing how some humidor time treats these, even though they have 15 years age on some of the leaf. I’m also not a huge Criollo wrapper fan, but this one was pretty good.. Not overpowering, enough flavor to maintain interest, and a perfect burn. Many thanks to Oliver at Beach CIgar Group for thinking of me.

I had another Berger and Argenti Mooch Loll Maduro this week which was really tasty too! I love this line. Also, Santa brought me a new video camera and an IPod Touch which have already been used for some of the pictures on this page, and will simplify things for me here and there.

That about wraps it up for today. Enjoy the holiday, watch the Winter Classic tomorrow and I hope 2012 can be even better thank 2011 was!

CigarCraig

4 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as af2, Berger & Argenti, cigar, cigars, Emilio, general cigars, Gurkha, IPCPR, JM Cigars, macanudo, Mooch, Take A Cigar For A Walk

by CigarCraig | December 28, 2011 · 10:31 am

CigarCraig’s Top Cigars Of 2011

Once again I’d like to

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thank everyone for making the 12 Days of Spectacular Giveaways a huge success. I certainly couldn’t have done it without stuff to give away and people to give it to and the great support I had at home. It was tons of fun but it was a loads of work and quite tiring. I’ll plan on doing it again next year but will do a few things a little differently on the back end. Congrats to all of the winners and thanks to everyone for making it a great year on CigarCraig.com!

Everyone’s publishing their “Top Whatever” lists, and I’ve avoided doing anything like that over the years since I don’t really have a quantitative method of reviewing cigars, if you even want to call it reviewing. I know what I like, I know how a cigar works and I also feel that nobody sets out to make a crappy cigar, so there must be someone, somewhere who likes a given cigar, no matter how offensive it is to me. Also keep in mind that I’m not the kind of guy who runs all over creation looking for the hip boutique cigars, I’m just as happy with a Partagas Black as I am with some limited edition cigar that only comes out on arbor day and had 7 bands on it (happier, no doubt) So with all that in mind, let’s take a romp through what tripped my trigger over the last year!

You’d be hard pressed to find a list without the Tatuaje La Casita Criolla on it, and I have to concur, this is one of the cigars this year that really made me happy. Broadleaf. That’s all it is, Broadleaf. I love Broadleaf. I only smoked the corona size, but to me it compared favorably with the Liga Privada Serie Unico Dirty Rat in flavor and balance. Tasty, tasty cigar! I purchased these at a local shop and they weren’t too much more than $5 or $6 each.

A group of cigars that have received favorable reviews everywhere and are on everyone’s lists are the Emilio and Grimalkin cigars from Gary Griffith. The Emilio AF1 is a nice, dark, heavy, seriously yummy cigar, it’s sibling, the AF2 is different, perhaps a brighter flavor, but equally well made and delicious. The Grimalkin is a different beast, subtle, complex, an orgiastic feast of the senses. I have not had the occasion to purchase these, all of the samples I smoked were provided to me by Gary, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy them in a heartbeat. Gary and his partners are producing exceptional cigars, and I’m quite happy to know him.

I have also been enamored with the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especial and the CAO OSA Sol this year, both new cigars from General Cigar Co., and I’m not just saying that because I had the great fortune of visiting their Dominican factory. One of the many eyeopeners on that trip, besides revisiting some of their classic cigars and finding them to be outstanding, was the time and passion that goes into making every cigar. It almost has to be harder to make a million great cigars that are great year after year thank

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to make a batch of a couple hundred thousand that are gone when they are gone, right? The La Gloria Retro has been excellent and tasty in all the sizes I’ve tried, cigar after cigar, and the CAO OSA Sol seems to shine in the Lot 50, or robusto size, but is a nice enough cigar across the board. Both are in the medium range with lots of flavor.

One of my favorite finds of the year has to have been Oja Cigars. I met the brand owner, Luis Garcia, on my trip to Nicaragua, and we hit it off pretty good. His cigars are made by Tabacalera Esteli, which is owned by Kiki Berger. There haven’t been a lot of cigars from Cuban Crafters that have floated my boat, but the Oja line is really nice. I think my favorite cigar of the year was a Connecticut Toro I enjoyed in the pool on a hot summer day, but that had as much to do with the circumstance as with the cigar. The line is solid, full bodied (even the Connecticut) and tasty. The Anniversary, with a Brazilian maduro wrapper outshines them all. It’s a little more refined and complex. I love the whole line and look forward to seeing them in stores in my area.

I should mention Adrian’s CroMagnon by Michael Rosales and Skip Martin, which is another cigar that’s been on everyone’s list. I’ve only smoked a couple samples that Skip gave me, but they are definitely up my alley. Also, for much different reasons, I really like the Berger and Argenti Mooch line, especially the Schnorr. The name cracks me up, but the cigar is a solid, flavorful medium bodied cigar. Also the Undercrown and My Uzi Weigh

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s a Ton were on everyone’s list for good reason, and I enjoyed the samples I had. Alec Bradley is making fine cigars, Toraño is making fine cigars, La Palina, El Primer Mundo, Oliva, everyone see

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ms to be making fine cigars! It’s a good time, there are so many choices!

That’s about all I can think of at the moment. Honestly, there were a LOT of great cigars this year.

Until the next time, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CigarCraig

17 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Review

Tagged as af1, af2, Alec Bradley, broadleaf, cain, CAO, cigar, cigars, connecticut, drew estate, El Primer Mundo, Emilio, general cigars, Grimalkin, La Casita Criolla, La Gloria Cubana, La Palina, Oja, oliva, tatuaje, Toraño

by CigarCraig | December 11, 2011 · 8:44 am

12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways Countdown! A Monte Pascoal, a My Uzi and a Cain

It’s been a busy week, I’ve been gearing up for the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways and the weather was mild and rainy for the fist part of the week, and cold at the end. This didn’t stop me from getting in a few interesting cigars though!

Mid way through the week I took a walk with a Monte Pascoal Minuto. This Brazilian puro is a tasty little firecracker of a smoke. The cigar is 4 3/8″ x 42, with Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper and binder and Mata Fina and Mata Norte fillers. The word on the street is that the smaller sizes are stronger than the larger sizes, based on the higher wrapper to filler ratio, but I find this difficult to comprehend given that the blend is so heavily weighted toward the same tobacco variety. Perhaps I’ll ask Wes at Tabacos Mata Fina USA about this the next time I see him.

Last night it was cold. I needed to get some cash, and the nearest ATM is probably a mile and a half away, so I grabbed the 7″x 60 My Uzi Weighs A Ton pre-release sample Jonathan Drew sent me quite a few months ago. This cigar is a joint venture between Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estate/Subculture Studio, and was released at this years IPCPR show. Certainly this monstrous cigar would last me the entire walk, and then some. There’s nothing more frustrating that finishing the cigar before the walk. Anyway, this cigar had a nice flavor, and as has been said many times by others, it’s not a killer strong cigar as the name may imply. It’s just a really nice, balanced, medium bodied cigar that was an excellent companion for the 3 mile walk!

Yesterday I felt inspired to smoke a Cain Daytona Corona after a big Olive Garden meal with my wife. I really needed a couple laps around the block to burn off the pasta! I love the Cain line, but most of them are just too strong for me. Not the Daytona! It’s another medium bodied cigar that’s packed with delicious flavors. What led me to this cigar was a meeting earlier in the day with my areas Oliva rep, Mike Staiber, who provided a terrific prize for the upcoming contest. Always nice to see Mike, and I wish we’d have had the time to sit and smoke one together.

Speaking of the contest, it starts TOMORROW! Keep any eye here bright and early each morning for the next two weeks for a fantastic parade of prizes! Leave a comment to win and check back every day for the winner and the next prize! This is a contest that is unprecedented in the history of CigarCraig.com! Many thanks to the following companies who have made this contest possible:

La Gloria Cubana

Villiger Stokkebye

Brothers of the Leaf, LLC

Tabacos Mata Fina USA

Oja Cigars

and more to come!

My deepest gratitude for everyone for helping to make this a terrific 12 days of contests!

That’s it for now, more tomorrow!

CigarCraig

13 Comments

Filed under Contest, Review, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as 12 days, c-gars ltd, cain, cigar, Cigar Journal, cigars, Contest, drew estate, esencia, general, general cigar, IPCPR, joya de nicaragua, La Gloria Cubana, Miami Cigar and Co, Monte Pascoal, Oja, oliva, palio, Pipes and Cigars, Stokkebye, tabacos mata fina usa, Take A Cigar For A Walk, Villiger

by CigarCraig | December 4, 2011 · 10:00 am

A Saturday Afternoon of La Gloria Cubanas

I received an e-mail from Famous Smoke Shop last week about the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale tour stop and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to finally visit their new location in Easton, PA. I don’t quite know why I haven’y yet visited the place, it’s a little over an hour and a half from home, although it ended up taking two hours or so to get there. The retail shop and Leaf Restaurant and Cigar Bar appears to be in the front of their huge warehouse and distribution center. It’s a little off the beaten path, as I’m driving through a new, under construction residential area and industrial park, I was really starting to doubt my GPS (which has failed me before). But there it was, in the middle of nowhere, this huge building, with a beautiful restaurant and retail store. The humidor is enormous, with an equally enormous selection of boxes, five-packs and singles. The staff was very friendly and attentive, and I picked up a fiver of La Gloria Serie R Maduros. In the lobby, Michael Giannini was set up with posters that he was autographing, Retro Especiale Club samples, and bundles of Atesano de Tabaqueros, which were free with various levels of purchase. My simple five-pack purchase got me three of the Artesanos de Tabaqueros, of which I chose two of the new Sumatra/Broad-leaf versions.

While I was hanging out talking with Michael, Gary and Seanna (Gary is the General Cigar Event Manager and Seanna is the General Cigar account manager for national accounts), I enjoyed another Retro Especiale Club, which I’ve been smoking quite a few of in the last couple months. If you haven’t tried these yet, find them and try them. Great cigars. After that I just had to try the Artesanos de Tabaqueros with the Sumatra and broad-leaf wrappers. I love broad-leaf, and once the burn line reached that broad-leaf it exploded with flavor. Not that it didn’t start off great, with the Sumatra wrapper portion being very nice, but the broad-leaf is so rich and full flavored that I was sad when it was finished. I’d love to try broad-leaf and Connecticut shade, hint hint. These cigars are only available on the Retro Tour.

It’s always a treat to hang out with Michael, he’s a real mensch, and I’m pleased to know him and call him “Bro”. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to visit Famous finally. We are fortunate to have quite a few very large retailers in Pennsylvania, due to the lack of a cigar tax.

For my evening “Take a Cigar for a Walk” cigar, I figured I’d keep the La Gloria theme going with a Serie R No. 5 Maduro that I picked up at the shop. I haven’t had one of these in years, and it was actually milder than I recall. The Tabaqueros was much stronger, and I suppose I expected the R to be stronger. Regardless, it was a very nice cigar, although the cold evening was, perhaps, not conducive to fully enjoying this cigar. It burned perfectly. I remember drooling over the stacks of these I saw at the factory.

That’s about all I have for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Events, Review, Stores, Take a Cigar For a Walk

Tagged as Artesanos de Tabaqueros, Broad-leaf, cigar, cigar store, cigars, connecticut, Easton, Famous, general, general cigars, La Gloria Cubana, maduro, Michael Giannini, retro especiale, Serie R, Sumatra, Take A Cigar For A Walk

by CigarCraig | November 30, 2011 · 8:01 pm

Square Press Week: A Oja Anniversary and a G.A.R. White Label

I seem to be on a square press kick this

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week. Don’t know why that is really, I like square cigars, but I don’t really go o

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ut of my way to select them. They are perfect for my bi-weekly walks to the convenience store, where I usually rest my cigar on the Redbox machine while I go in. I hate it when a cigar rolls off and I find it on the ground when I come out. I had that happen with a Liga Privada last week and I thought someone stole it, but I found it under the machine! Phew! I was scared there for a bit!

Monday evening I had a call from Luis of Oja Cigars and felt inspired to smoke the Oja Anniversary Robusto that he gifted me when I saw him last in Vegas. This is a pretty square pressed robusto with a dark Brazilian Samba wrapper. It’s full of dark and decadent flavors and was perfectly constructed. This cigar was made to celebrate the first anniversary of the brand. The whole line has been a highlight for me this year, all three wrappers in the regular line are very good, and a toro, torpedo and 6″ x 60 gordo are good sizes, although I have to say this robusto fits my cooler weather smoking needs the best.

Tonight I grabbed a G.A.R. White Label Corona Gorda for my walk. This cigar was sent to my by one of my loyal readers, Lloyd, who seems to be very lucky when it comes to winning cigars! As a matter of fact, he won a box of Oja cigars right here a few months back. Here we had a 6″ x 46 cigar with am Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Ecuador Connecticut binder and Nicaraguan Filler. I’ve only had the pleasure of smoking a few cigars from the Gran Habano lines, and they’ve been pretty good so far. This one was perhaps a little light for a chilly evening, but it performed admirably and provided a satisfying smoke. Thanks, Lloyd, for the opportunity to sample this cigar! Best of luck to you in future contests!

Don’t forget to send an e-mail to mailinglist@pipesandcigars.com to get on their mailing list and get a free PipesandCigars.com calendar with special monthly deals. Also, use the “Write to Congress” widget in my sidebar (between the IPCPR and CRA graphics) and e-mail your elected officials asking them to support the bills to keep the FDA out of our humidors!

That’s it for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig